British travellers can apply to skip immigration queues

Visitors to the States can join a scheme that will allow them to skip the notoriously long queues at US immigration from December following the expansion of Global Entry to British citizens.

Global Entry, which is already available at 46 US airports and 13 preclearance locations, allows for faster processing of pre-approved, low-risk travellers.

Travellers have to go through a lengthy application process and spend more than £100 in fees, so the scheme is likely to be most appealing to the 125,000 British citizens who travel to the US at least four times a year.

British citizens will have to register via the Home Office website and pay a £42 fee. If they pass the UK vetting process they will be given an access code to enter when applying for Global Entry through the Global Online Enrolment System.

Once their application is approved, they must have an interview with an officer to assess eligibility. The fee for a five-year membership is $100.